Enough
by CSINYLovexx4ever
Summary: After Insulting Cuddy, House knows he's been a jerk and goes to apologize. A tag for "Finding Judas". Some spoilers for that episode!
1. Apology

_**Enough - A House Fanfic**_

**A/N: A Little Afterthought of "Finding Judas". I absolutely hated the way House was treating everyone especially Cuddy and I think he should have apologized. (Obviously we know he didn't because he's an established jerk but seriously I don't wanna accept the fact that even on TV someone could be that cruel and NOT apologize so this is my little fixer upper for that)**

Cuddy rose from the chair she was curled up in and hugged Wilson before he left her office. It felt good to get all those things off her chest, all the things she was keeping held in. House knew she was looking for a sperm donor but he didn't know the first two implants never took. She was so excited when she thought she actually was pregnant too, she went out and bought a pregnancy test, sure it would be positive. House had been teasing her for days about being pregnant, telling her that her boobs looked like they were starting a dairy business, that her ass was rapidly expanding (in a good way) and that she had a ridiculous glow. She told herself not to get excited until she had hard factual proof of a pregnancy, but House's encouragement kept getting to her. Cuddy thought for sure it finally happened.

When she went to her next IVF appointment they asked if she had taken a pregnancy test to which she replied yes, telling them it had been negative. They checked her out and told her by the slight scarring they could tell she had actually been pregnant but she had lost the baby. They told her not to worry, that happens sometimes. Cuddy was surprised to hear this. She thought miscarriages were painful but then she rationalized to herself that with just an embryo at it's very basic stage there would be nothing to feel anyway. Cuddy cried every night for a week after she found that out, mostly because of House's teasings during the day about all her pregnancy "symptoms".

She had even considered asking him to be a sperm donor. She considered asking Wilson too she reminded herself. Wilson was always the better choice. Cuddy tried to tell herself that but she didn't really believe it, not until today anyway. Today was the first time House had ever hit her where it truly hurt. Sure he had insulted her clothes, her hair, her ability to do her job, her ability to control him, all things she was secure in and knew she was doing well. She knew he only said those things to get a reaction out of her, to get his way, or to just create a little drama for his own amusement. Those comments were always followed by a funny face, a less sarcastic but more inappropriate comment about her ass or a little gleam in his eye. Today there was none of that to be found. The only thing registering on his face was complete and utter disgust for her. He told her it was a good thing she hasn't been able to get pregnant because she would be an awful mother.

Cuddy knows she doesn't have what it takes to be a mom, at least not right off the bat. It comes so easy to other people. They understand the garbled language their children speak, they understand the hand motions they make and what they want when they throw hissy fits. They know how to calm them down, stop their tears and protect them. Cuddy doesn't know how to do this, she's never had to know how but she wants to so very badly. Motherhood is the one aspect of her life Cuddy is not sure she would have under control. There was a reason she hadn't told anyone she was thinking of getting a sperm donor. She wasn't even going to tell House until he went snooping around in her trash. She didn't was people questioning her because she would be a single mother. She didn't want the disapproving and pitying looks from people who didn't agree with her decision. She didn't want anyone to know because she was afraid that the IVF wasn't going to work. She was just afraid of letting anyone in to see how much she wanted this and how crushed she would be if it failed.

Cuddy scolded herself as she packed up and headed home. How could she have told House what was going on? Sure he diagnosed her just like one of his patients. He and Wilson even tested her for cancer for heaven sakes (while she was touched they cared enough to do so it was still an invasion of privacy)! She still could have lied, said it was a skin rash or whatever but no… she gave in and told him just like always. She even went as far as to ask for his help with her shots. That was a big mistake right there, giving him a free pass to look at her ass twice a day and touch it. Cuddy felt herself starting to smile at the memory of him disinfecting the injection site then stopped herself. Cuddy didn't want to admit even in her own head that she enjoyed that attention he gave her. Of course he did it because he wanted a peek up her skirt and he wanted to make highly inappropriate comments about what was going on, but he still did it and was gentle and dare she say caring when he "did the deed". Cuddy chuckled as she got on the elevator at her poor choice of words.

By the time she made it home Cuddy was thoroughly exhausted. They saved the little girl's life but House had nearly maimed her by cutting off her left arm and leg because he made a wrong diagnosis. Chase was able to convince House he was wrong and get the surgery stopped. Cuddy couldn't help but feel responsible for everything that happened today. She became the girl's medical proxy only because her parents couldn't agree what was best for her. Even Cuddy wasn't sure what was best for her with House detoxing and acting like a bigger moron than usual. He got a diagnosis wrong, which never happens. Cuddy kept flashing back to the moment in the shower when she felt so self loathing and just wanted to make the little girl feel better. She had caused that fever and felt terrible about it. Then House burst in and went right for the throat. Cuddy had never felt lower than she had in that moment.

Cuddy took a quick shower and changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She didn't want to go to bed but she didn't want to do anything else. She just wanted to cry, so she did. She cried for a good half an hour before she heard a small knock on her door. Thinking it could be Wilson coming to check on her, Cuddy went and opened the door without checking the peep hole. When she swung the door back she was more than a little surprised to see House standing there leaning heavily on his cane, eyes downcast. They stood there for a moment not speaking until House lifted his head. "Hi" he spoke tentatively. "Hi" Cuddy answered back still gripping the door and trying to decide if slamming it in his face was a good idea or not. Unlike a normal person House didn't ask before stepping into her foyer and heading for the living room. Cuddy slammed the door shut fully intending to lay into him for what he said. House cut her off before she could talk by simply saying "I'm an ass".

Cuddy couldn't help but start to laugh. "Yes House that is EXACTLY what you are." He shook his head "No I'm serious I'm a complete and total ass." He took a few steps towards her so that he could almost whisper to her. "I didn't mean what I said. I'm in detox. That girl wasn't getting better and I said some things I shouldn't have." Cuddy had never heard House apologize for anything in his life. She still didn't believe him. "Wilson put you up to this didn't he?" She asked him, sure that the answer was yes. "No." He looked sincere but Cuddy knew better. "You say it yourself House, everybody lies. Including you." He looked her straight in the eye and said "Wilson did not put me up to this."

"Oh so Wilson didn't tell you how the first two IFV treatments didn't work and how I actually lost a baby on the third try? He didn't tell you I honestly don't have any idea how to be a mother because I must have somehow missed the instruction manual? He didn't tell you how completely petrified I am that this is never going to happen and how you only confirmed my suspicions earlier today? He didn't tell you any of that?" Cuddy finally looked up at House to see his reaction, he looked like he had been punched in the gut. He almost looked sorry for what he had done. House took a very deep breath and looked back up at Cuddy. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder and said "I'm sorry". Those were words Lisa Cuddy thought would never come out of the mouth of Gregory House. Hearing them was enough to make her start crying again.

She hated feeling this weak and vulnerable in front of someone, especially House who will use it against her at a most inopportune time. For right now it didn't seem like he had any intention of doing that. He actually pulled her into him, albeit awkwardly, for a hug. He was warm and smelled faintly of laundry detergent and leather. Cuddy felt bad for getting tears all over his T-shirt but as far as she could tell he didn't care (at least not as much as he normally would). She looked up at him surprised to find he was staring right back at her and leaning down towards her. Before she could even react he was capturing her lips with his own. The kiss was gentle but it felt as though he was holding back. So Cuddy did something she really shouldn't have, she deepened the kiss.

Minutes later they were kicking open Cuddy's bedroom door as she pushed his leather jacket to the floor and he lifted off her sweatshirt to reveal a light blue tank top. As soon as the chill hit Cuddy's arms it was as if her brain woke up from the haze she had been in and she swatted House's hands away from the bottom of her tank top. "What?" he questioned her. "A minute ago you were like all for this." Cuddy started to get angry again. "Did you honestly come here to apologize because you think you could get me to have sex with you because I'm vulnerable right now?" House looked dumbstruck and that was all the more answer she needed. "Get out House, you're completely right, you are an ass." Cuddy grabbed her sweatshirt from his hands and backed up to sit on her bed. She refused to look at him but knew he hadn't left yet. She slowly felt the bed dip as he sat down on it and felt his hand on her knee. "I didn't come here for sex, I came here to apologize. Sex was just going to be a bonus prize because I thought you wanted it, I didn't even bring protection. I figured even if we did do anything tonight you wouldn't mind. You did sort of offer the other day that we could since you were ovulating."

She looked up at him and couldn't help but crack a smile. "It's a bad idea House." She said simply hoping he would understand. "Maybe it is, but it's a bad idea you want right now." She smiled again "No matter how much I want it or don't want it, it's still a bad idea and I'm still mad a you. There was a reason I never asked you to be a sperm donor. It's not something you'd really be interested in. Long term that is. You'd say you didn't want to be involved until the kid is born then you'll want to be involved but won't want to tell anyone so you'll just be all mean and distant with everyone. I'm not sure how that's different than everything right now though…" House just looked at her before cracking a small smile of his own. "What better way to prove to you I was wrong about what I said than to let you be the mother of my child." This got a true laugh out of Cuddy. "Sorry House still no sex tonight". House gave her his best disappointed look. "Dr. Cuddy it's rude to start something you have no intention of finishing." Cuddy laughed again. "No sex but would you be interested in a beer and a movie?" Sighing and rolling his eyes House answered "Why not".

The pair trudged back into Cuddy's living room where House picked a movie (Batman Returns) and Cuddy made herself some tea and got him a beer. They sat on her couch and watched the movie. Cuddy only made it a half hour tops and she started drifting off to sleep. In the sleep induced haze her head slowly started to droop which did not go unnoticed by House. To prevent her from almost falling off the couch and waking up, House slid her body so she was resting up against him and her head was on his shoulder. House finished his beer and the movie and decided Cuddy should probably head to bed and he should leave. He wanted to wake her up and tell her he was leaving but she just looked so content. House decided very much against his better judgement that he wasn't going to wake her up, but he was going to get her to bed.

House ever so slowly lifted her head and replaced his shoulder with a pillow. He stood up hobbling a bit without his cane, testing the weight on his leg. Feeling pretty confident he slowly bent down to pick Cuddy up bridal style and carry her to bed. Picking her up wasn't the problem, House had a lot of upper body strength, walking with her in his arms was the problem. House made it halfway to her bedroom and his leg started to give out. He stopped immediately and leaned back against the wall with Cuddy still in his arms. He had to sit down and he had to do it now. He tried to gracefully drop to the floor but was unsuccessful. He landed on his butt with a loud thump and the noise along with the rattle of the fall woke Cuddy up.

She was panicked from being startled awake and was nervously looking around trying to figure out where she was, but she stopped fidgeting when she looked up and saw him. "House what the hell is going on?" Cuddy asked sitting up, thankfully putting her weight on his left thigh. "Well you fell asleep during the movie and I was trying to take you to your bedroom but my leg gave out halfway there. Your ginormous ass was too much for my leg to handle." Cuddy was puzzled as to why he didn't just wake her up or leave her on the couch so she asked him. "Why didn't you just wake me up or leave me on the couch?" House hesitated a minute, probably trying to come up with a sarcastic quip. "You looked too comfortable to be woken up, and no offense but your couch sucks. If you slept on that all night you'd wake up with a terrible back ache tomorrow morning." Cuddy was smiling at his small gesture. She stood up and reached a hand out to help him up. "That was very nice of you, want a hand getting up?" House scowled at her but in the end took her hand and got to his feet. He was in a serious amount of pain and had no Vicodin, damn rehab and detox.

"I should get going. My boss is a real jerk, likes me at work by 9, what a bitch." He said smiling a little trying to lighten the mood. Cuddy smiled a little too but started shaking her head. "You can't go out driving your motorcycle with your leg like that. What if it cramps up while you're driving or something? I can't let you drive like this. House frowned at her. Than what exactly did she expect him to do? Did they not just establish her couch was not really fit for any human being to sleep on? "Come into the bedroom with me. I'll give you a leg massage and we'll see how it feels after that and see if you're good enough to drive, okay?" The way she looked up at him with those grey eyes he couldn't really argue. If only she knew how to do that at work, he'd probably give in more often.

House tried to hobble into Cuddy's bedroom but silently cursed himself for leaving his cane out in the living room. Cuddy could tell he was having trouble walking but she didn't want to offer him any help, knowing how pissy he gets. He almost fell again but this time Cuddy reached out and grabbed his hand. He was able to steady himself and Cuddy proceeded to put his arm around her shoulders. Then he could use her body for support whether he wanted to or not. They made it to the bedroom and House climbed in on the left side of the bed (after being instructed that the right side was Cuddy's side) and immediately sunk back into the pillows and the fluffy duvet. This bed was literally like laying on a cloud. Everything Cuddy's couch lacked in comfort this bed made up for. Cuddy had went into the bathroom a few minutes ago and returned with a heating pad and what looked like ibuprofen. Cuddy set the small cup of water and the pills on the nightstand and placed the heating pad on House's leg.

"Take the pills, it's just ibuprofen, not the hard drugs you're used to. Leave the heating pad on your leg for a little bit and then I'll try to rub some of the kinks out." She told him before settling back onto her side of the bed. Cuddy switched on the small beside table lamp and picked up a copy of some book she was reading. House flicked his eyes towards the cover and caught the title. Did that say 'Naked Heat'? "You're actually trying to kill me aren't you? With a red hardback book you're trying to kill me." The corners of Cuddy's mouth upturned a little. "House it's a mystery novel. There's nothing naked about it and stop picturing the inappropriate things you're undoubtably picturing right now. "

House leaned back and really did try to suppress the less than PG rated thoughts of Cuddy floating through his mind right now and trying to ignore the shooting pains in his leg. A few minutes later Cuddy walked over to where he was laying and started to massage his leg. It felt GOOD. It made his leg feel almost normal, even better than it had in months, before he even tried to kick the Vicodin habit. Without being plagued by constant severe leg pain House drifted off to sleep on the cloud that was Cuddy's bed. When Cuddy noticed he had finally fallen asleep and was snoring softly she smiled to herself. He finally just looked relaxed, which was Cuddy's goal from the massage. Obviously she wasn't going to wake him up to have him drive home, she just let him sleep. She put the heating pad back on his leg and went back to her side of the bed, crawled under the covers and fell asleep.

A few hours later House woke up. There was a dull ache in his leg but nothing serious, he had felt worse. House didn't know where he was and didn't really feel like opening his eyes. It smelled familiar wherever he was though. Something like berries and…. Coconut? House slowly opened his eyes to see Cuddy lying there, curled into his side, his arm around her waist. House couldn't stop himself from smiling when he saw that. After his initial happy thought House did two things. First he checked to see if they had clothes on… and unfortunately for House, they did. Second his flight response started to kick in. House figured he should get out of there before morning. He didn't want Cuddy waking up to find him in her bed, whether she put him there or not, because that could lead to some major yelling. Plus House was not a sentimental guy. He didn't just cuddle with women for fun, especially without sex. Heck he didn't even cuddle with women after he got sex. But this was Cuddy, she looked so relaxed and happy lying there and she even had a small smile playing on her face.

House tried to pull his arm out from under her and make a quick exit but as soon as he tried to pull his arm out from under her she snuggled in closer and threw her arm around his midsection. So much for making a quick and quiet exit. House laid back against the pillows and thought about how completely "relationship"-y this whole situation seemed. Relationships scare the hell out of House, but every time he looked down at Cuddy and saw the small smile playing on her face it made him happy. Of course she wasn't awake and probably has no idea she's clinging onto him the way she is. Even so House lets his mind wander. He let's himself think what it would be like to do this every night, lie here next to Cuddy and hold her like he is right now. He thinks about what it would be like to not always constantly hide his pain from her, he'd of course still hide it from everyone else, but he could tell her when it was hurting and get another one of those mind blowing massages.

House allows himself to think about what could happen if they dated for real. He'd have to take her out places and buy her presents. He was caught somewhere between wanting that so much and not wanting that because it's a change. House doesn't do well with change. Jumping into a relationship with Cuddy would be a whole mess of change. Deep down, House knew he could never be what she wanted and would never be good enough for her. House knew Lisa Cuddy would be the only woman (aside from Stacy) that he could ever be in a relationship with. She was the only woman who would tolerate him and she was the only woman that mattered enough to him to want to make changes in himself.

House even dared let his mind wander to marriage and children. House never wanted to get married, too much hassle. You would never be free to do anything on your own accord ever again. You would always have someone telling you that your ideas were stupid, unreasonable. Cuddy pretty much told him that every day at the hospital anyway, so it wouldn't be a stretch for her to do it at home too. Kids however were a different story. House swore to himself he'd never be a father. He couldn't turn into what his father was. He knew he would be just as awful. All he would do was corrupt a kid. He didn't know how to love or be kind or caring or nurturing. Cuddy surely did though. When House thought of that he felt a pain of guilt in his chest. How could he tell her she would be an awful mother? Out of all the women House knows if he someday would ever want a kid, he'd want Cuddy to be it's mother. She's strong, smart, funny, and has an amazing ass (which had nothing to do with their children but that thought always accompanies Cuddy's name in his mind). Trying to turn off the thoughts in his brain House started naming symptoms for different diseases in his mind. Slowly he started to drift off to sleep. He knew he should leave, he knew Cuddy wouldn't want to see him in the morning but as far as he was concerned that didn't matter right now. Eventually House fell back asleep while holding Cuddy, he'd deal with the fallout in the morning. Right now all that mattered was that Gregory House and Lisa Cuddy were together, happy and House had been forgiven for what he had done, and for now that was enough.

**A/N: Well… that didn't necessarily go where I thought it would when I started. I think I like it though. Reviews? This is an intended oneshot but I might continue if the reviews point in that direction. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Wilson's Involvement

**A/N: Wow… I was NOT expecting so many reviews for the first chapter! I've decided to make this a two-shot at least because we have to find out what happens when they wake up in the morning. Fair warning if this goes any farther than a two-shot: I suck at updating multi-chapter stories, like actually suck at it. Also I'm having formatting issues so I hope everything isn't too hard to read and as for typos… I'm one of those people that should spell and grammar check but never do because I'm too excited to upload my story! Okay House fans read on! Oh yeah I don't own it but did I really have to tell you that?**

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As the dawn broke and the sun started to shine through the curtains Cuddy awoke before her alarm. Her internal clock always woke her at 6:15 AM but her alarm didn't go off until 6:30. That gave Cuddy 15 minutes to lay in bed, relax and contemplate anything on her mind. Right now the only thing Cuddy was trying to contemplate is why her head was buried in someone's chest and why she couldn't move. She deduced from the position that she was in that she couldn't move because someone's arms were wrapped around her (and her left arm was slung around someone as well). Instead of opening her eyes Cuddy tried to figure out who was lying next to her while still in a sleep induced haze. Whoever it was smelled like laundry detergent and… leather. Cuddy knew immediately when she smelled the leather that it was House. A sick feeling was forming in the pit of her stomach as Cuddy reached around with her right hand and felt the sweatpants that were still firmly on her legs and the tank top on her upper half. Breathing a small sigh of relief remembering that they didn't have sex, Cuddy opened her eyes and craned her neck upward slightly to take a look at sleeping House.

He looked different asleep in her bed than he did when he was sleeping in his office. He almost looked relaxed. He was snoring a bit and the stubble on his chin had grown more prominent over the night. His chin was almost resting on the top of her head and his arms were holding her tightly. Cuddy couldn't help but feel a little happy and excited about waking up like this. Against everything she knew was right, she wanted to wake up like this every morning. Not just with some guy or any guy, she wanted to wake up like this with House. The events from yesterday were slowly falling into place in Cuddy's mind and she remember what he said about her being an unfit mother. Cuddy almost regretted ever wishing for something like this, almost. Before she had time to do anything else her alarm started blaring causing House to wake up, startled by the sound. Cuddy quickly turned in his arms and slammed the off button on the alarm before slowly and cautiously turning back to House. She looked up at him again, afraid of what she might see in his eyes after waking up this way.

He didn't react like she thought he would at all. Instead of having a royal fit because she woke him up so early or freaking out because he woke up in her bed he just pulled her closer and said "I'm still tired, five more minutes". As amazing as it was that he didn't seem to care where or how he was waking up, this pissed Cuddy off a little. He didn't even have a reaction.

"House, do you know where you are?"

"Yes, I'm in your bed Cuddy and I'm still tried. Five more minutes. Your precious hospital can spare you a little longer. Hell I never show up before nine or ten. They won't even miss you. Five more minutes."

"House, you're not even the least bit curious about why you're waking up here?"

"You gave me a leg massage because I shouldn't drive with a cramped muscle. I feel asleep. I woke up in the middle of the night and you were laying on my arm, I tried to leave and it was impossible so I went back to sleep. Your annoyingly loud alarm went off I woke up again with you in my arms and I'm still tired and want five more minutes sleep."

"You realize after that explanation you're probably much too awake to fall back asleep now, right?"

"Yes but if we get out of this bed you go back to being Dean of Medicine and I go back to being your biggest pain in the ass doctor and we'll fight and I'll say some stupid things and I'll hurt you again. If you just lay here with me for five more minutes we can pretend that's not going to happen."

Cuddy didn't even know how to respond to that. House doesn't want to fight with her? He doesn't want to say things to her that will hurt her? Who is this guy and what has he done with Dr. House world renowned diagnostician? As usual House got what he wanted because Cuddy was too stunned and deep in thought to even try to get out of bed for another five minutes. Cuddy had never seen this side of House, the side that showed he was nothing less than human. Cuddy knew House wasn't an overly affectionate person, why on earth would he want to lay here and continue cuddling? Why would he give her that explanation?

"House, we can't just play pretend all morning, we have to go to work. You hate being affectionate, you hate cuddling, you hate everything you're asking for right now. Did you pop some Vicodin last night when you woke up? I know you carry it on you but I didn't think you had any."

"No, I didn't pop and pills last night except the ibuprofen that you gave me before I fell asleep. I thought you'd be happy about this since you've had a massive crush on me for fifteen years." House said to Cuddy before sitting up effectively breaking the mood. Anything that they were going to have was over and Cuddy was right, they couldn't play pretend forever.

"I'm pretty sure that statement should be directed at you." Cuddy said before sitting up as well.

The magic was gone. Anything they had a few minutes ago had shattered as soon as they broke the embrace. It left the atmosphere in the room feeling awkward. Cuddy slowly inched herself out of bed and headed for the bathroom. She called out to House over her shoulder before she shut the door: "You're welcome to help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I have coffee if you want to make some and there might be some cereal in the cupboard. I'm going to take a shower and if you even think about coming in here you're fired." Cuddy disappeared behind the bathroom door and House heard the click of the lock and the water start running. He limped his way back out into the living room while holding onto the walls for support until he found his cane lying next to the couch. He went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. He found no cereal but he did find some bread and decided to make toast. About a half hour later Cuddy appeared in the kitchen in one of her usual outfits of a button-up shirt and a skirt and sensible heels. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sunk down in the chair across from House. Cuddy plucked a banana from the bowl on the table and started to peel it and eat it. She looked up to find House staring at her.

"Seriously you're trying to kill me with hardback books and bananas."

Cuddy just glared at him before speaking. "I'm sorry that my breakfast is turning you on House but as you noticed yourself there isn't much to eat here. Deal with it." Cuddy went back to eating her banana and House limped out to Cuddy's front door to retrieve the paper. If he wasn't allowed to watch her eat he could at least read the newspaper. House came back into the kitchen to find Cuddy finished with her breakfast and washing out the coffee pot. She turned when she saw House come into the kitchen and place the paper on the counter.

"Do you need a ride to work? I know you have your motorcycle here, or are you going home to shower and change first?" Cuddy asked him leaning against the counter. House couldn't take this terribly domestic scene. He needed an out and he needed it fast. "No I'm going home first. Don't want everyone thinking we've had sex do we? If I come in with the same clothes from yesterday on people will start to talk." House replied winking at her and walking towards the front door. "You better be in by nine o'clock. Just because you spent the night here doesn't give you a free pass to show up whenever you want." House barely heard the last word as he slammed the front door shut.

House rode home on his motorcycle, parking on the sidewalk as usual and letting himself into his apartment. He threw his keys on the table and collapsed onto the couch, hoisting his leg up on the table for support. House couldn't take what happened this morning. He couldn't believe he asked Cuddy to cuddle with him a little bit longer, he can't believe he didn't try to break into her bathroom and see her in the shower and he can't believe how completely domestic the whole thing felt. He also couldn't believe how right it felt. Honestly House found himself picturing what it would be like to hear her alarm go off every morning at six thirty and hold her for five more minutes. Then he would get up and make coffee while she was in the shower and head back to sleep when she was eating breakfast. She'd come in and kiss him goodbye before she left for work and he would get up, eat something and clean the coffee pot then shower and change and leave for work. House could actually picture that in his mind and it scared the hell out of him.

House didn't show up to work until 11. Cuddy really wasn't surprised, he usually didn't show up until 11 and no one was suspicious to what had happened between them last night, although Cuddy noticed as she watched him from behind the main desk in the clinic, that he never changed his clothes, and probably didn't shower either which defeated the whole purpose of him going home.

House did a lousy job with the clinic patients as usual but today Cuddy didn't talk to him about it and she didn't make a scene. What happened last night and this morning was just too "couple"-y for them. As much as Cuddy wanted it, she knew it was something House would never go for and was an issue she'd never push. Unfortunately she couldn't help her mind from straying back to thoughts of what "could be" all morning. After pulling some clinic hours Cuddy retreated back to her office and shut the door. Instead of sitting behind her desk and working on the budget or filling out paperwork or checking on House's lawsuits she laid down on her couch. She finally let her mind wander to where it wanted to go all morning, back to the relationship that never will be.

Cuddy started out picturing waking up in House's arms every morning. She'd get a full fifteen minutes to just lie there with him, no interruptions, no sick patients, nothing, just the two of them being together. He'd probably even try to get her to stay in bed for a few extra minutes and she'd probably give in. She'd get up and shower and when she came out he'd be in the kitchen with the coffee brewing and reading the paper. They'd have breakfast together and then she'd go to work. He'd probably try to catch some more sleep before finally giving in and getting ready for the day and then heading into work himself. Cuddy caught the smile that had formed on her face and tried to make it go away, but she couldn't. The fantasy in her head kept growing. She imagined herself getting pregnant, they'd go to her OB-GYN appointments together and he'd criticize everyone there and nitpick at every little detail because he'd only want what's best for her and the baby (even if he'd never admit that out loud). When they were alone he'd put his hand on her stomach and sing to it and threaten that if she ever told anyone about it there would be serious consequences on her part. He'd be in the delivery room with her when their child was born, maybe they'd even have twins, one of each. He wouldn't help much when they were babies but he would sing them to sleep at night. Then their morning routine would change into something with taking care of the children.

Cuddy couldn't let herself get caught up in this much longer, it wasn't healthy. A relationship between them would never work. He would never want it, she wouldn't be able to stand him not wanting it. One or both of them would ultimately get hurt and that wasn't something she could bear. If she couldn't have him as a boyfriend or husband she still wanted him in her life as someone to make her laugh, drive her crazy and be her verbal sparring partner. Cuddy got up off the couch and went to her desk, pulling the first file off the top and reading it. It was a referral case for Wilson, some terminal patient who feels they'd have a better last few months if he was overseeing their case. Cuddy tucked the file under her arm and walked to the elevator and rode it up to Wilson's floor. She walked to his office and opened the door without knocking to find Wilson and House both inside. House was sprawled out on the couch and Wilson was sitting at his computer. It didn't look like they had been talking about her or last night, which was a good sign.

"Dr. Wilson I have a referral case for you. All the information you need is in the file." Cuddy told him before walking out. She didn't even acknowledge House which made something inside him twinge but he couldn't exactly figure out why. Not that he said anything to her either, but usually when she found him sprawled out on Wilson's couch she told him to go do clinic duty or work on a case or something. This time she said nothing, simply turned her back and left. This small gesture did not go unnoticed by Wilson.

"So are you going to tell me why she seems to be completely avoiding you or do I have to ask?" Wilson prompted. House just looked at him with an unhappy glare. "Does it have anything to do with why you're wearing the same clothes from yesterday?" Wilson asked again hoping to get a response from him. "You're such a girl Wilson, why do you even know what I was wearing yesterday?" House looked at Wilson, trying to make him upset or something so they wouldn't have to have this conversation. When Wilson wasn't letting up from his constant stare and 'I need to know what's going on now' face House finally cracked. "Alright, I kinda hit that last night, now she doesn't know how to handle it." Wilson jaw went slack and all of his facial features dropped. "You….. Hit that? Like in sex? You had sex with Cuddy? She's your boss, she'll fire you. No scratch that, she'll kill you before she fires you. Did you get her drunk? I thought she was upset with you after what you said to her yesterday?" House rolled his eyes at Wilson. "Are you done yet? God you're like a fifteen-year-old high school girl. It's good to know this kind of gossip excites you. Anyway we didn't have sex. We almost did but we didn't. We made out for awhile and then we watched a movie and I ended up staying the night."

Wilson couldn't even believe the things that were coming out of House's mouth right now. He made out with Cuddy, they didn't have sex and he still spent the night at her place? This was not the Gregory House method of getting women. That method usually consisted of calling a number, buying some beer and having a wad of cash handy. They didn't even have sex and he spent the night. Wilson knew this could only mean one thing and he got a gigantic grin on his face which House immediately scowled back at. "What's got you so happy Jimmy boy. It's my dirty little secret not yours." Wilson just smiled wider. "House you like her, dare I say you love her". Wilson could not contain the ever growing smile on his face, it was House's turn to go slack jawed. "I don't like her, I don't love her. I just went over there to apologize for yesterday." If possible Wilson's smile got even bigger. "House you NEVER apologize for being an ass, you have never said sorry to me for anything in all the years of our friendship. You really do love her don't you?" House stood up and headed for the door. "We are not having this conversation Wilson." House slammed the door and headed to Coma guy's room. He needed to watch his soap or play video games or something, all this mushy talk was way too much for him.

Wilson didn't waste time running to Cuddy's office. House obviously wasn't going to give him any sort of details and Wilson needed them. He burst through the doors to Cuddy's office to see her sitting behind her desk doing paperwork. "Can I help you Wilson?" she asked casting a suspicious look in his direction. "You guys didn't have sex and he still spent the night?" Cuddy rolled her eyes and knew where this was going, House must have said something to Wilson without giving him all the details. "Wilson how is my personal life any of your business?" Wilson just looked at her before collapsing on her couch. "No don't do this to me. He may have just done something human and didn't give me all the details. So did he actually spend the night with no sex?" Cuddy sighed in defeat knowing there was no way around giving Wilson what he wanted.

Cuddy sat down on the table across from Wilson and tentatively started telling him what happened. I went home last night and was a little upset about what House had said to me yesterday. There was a knock on my door and I thought it was you coming to check on me so I opened the door and he was standing there. He told me he was an ass and then he kissed me. One thing led to another but I ended up getting back in the right frame of mind and nothing became of it. I offered him a beer and we sat down to watch a movie on the couch. I fell asleep and he tried to take me to bed but his leg gave out. I woke up and gave him some ibuprofen and a heating pad, I wasn't going to let him drive with a cramped up leg. I also gave him a leg massage and he feel asleep during the leg massage. I went to bed after that and then when I woke up this morning he was still at my place. He made coffee, I got ready for work we had breakfast together and he left, he said he was going home to shower and change which obviously didn't happen. That's all that happened."

Wilson wasn't sure that she was telling him the whole truth but it was enough for now. "Cuddy that was so, not House. You know that right? He doesn't just spend the night at women's places without sex. How did you get him to do that?" Cuddy stood up and started pacing, this conversation was getting uncomfortable. "I didn't 'get' him to do anything. He fell asleep when I was trying to massage the pain out of his leg and I guess he didn't wake up until morning. It's not some great mystery of the universe. He was detoxing and was probably very tired." Wilson again wasn't buying that this was the full story, House wakes up at least once every night from the pain. He knew better than to push the issue though and just nodded. "Whatever you say Cuddy, but I think you of all people know that was way out of his comfort zone. Please be gentle with him, whether he admits it or not when it comes to matters of the heart he's fragile." Cuddy nodded her head as if she understood all Wilson was saying and sunk back down in her office chair after he had left. This was proving to be a very delicate subject and a rather big task and they hadn't even slept together. What would have happened if they did? Cuddy needed to get away from all this. She wasn't feeling all that great and she had a massive stress headache. She packed up her things and headed home for the day.

When she got home she looked around her apartment. His beer bottle was still on the coffee table and the paper was sitting on the kitchen counter. The DVD was still in the player and the bed was rumpled and unmade. Cuddy quickly changed into comfortable clothes and collapsed face down on her side of the bed. Everything in the house right now seemed to be little reminders of him, what could be if they had a life together. Everything reminded her of him because he was everywhere she was. In one evening's time he infiltrated her comfort zone and left small reminders of him everywhere. Deep down Cuddy loved it. She loved walking into her place and seeing the beer bottle there and being able to smell him faintly in the sheets. She liked that he wormed his way into what was hers and hers alone. Rolling over, Cuddy grabbed the pillow he had used last night. It still smelled of him, stronger than the sheets did. She hugged it close to her and tried to drift off to sleep, memories of them playing in her mind.

She woke up about an hour later and she felt like crap. She felt like she was coming down with a cold or the flu or something and she still had a stress headache. She was supposed to have dinner with her sister but called and canceled. She grabbed an old quilt from the top shelf in her closet and took it out to the couch. She made herself some tea and headed back to the couch. She found re-runs of Friends on television hoping to distract her mind and rid herself of whatever bug was trying to get to her. After about two hours and three mugs of tea later Cuddy realized she wasn't getting any better, she was, in fact, getting worse. She had a meeting tomorrow at eight thirty in the morning with all the heads of the departments in the hospital to talk about the budget. She sent them all a quick message asking to reschedule because she was coming down with something. Wilson had emailed her back to make sure she didn't need anything and she told him she was fine, it was just a flu bug.

About an hour later there was a knock on Cuddy's front door. She didn't feel like getting up to see who it was or what they wanted so she just continued to watch Joey's ridiculous attempt at finding his identical hand twin and tried to drown out the persistent knocking. The knocking finally stopped but was replaced soon after with a scratching sound and before Cuddy knew it her front door was swinging wide open and a shadowy figure was entering her house. Scared, Cuddy gabbed the first thing she could reach (which was the remote) and sat up, ready to swing at the intruder. She dropped her weapon when she looked up to see House standing in her entryway with a brown paper bag and a plastic bag that looked like it came from the grocery store.

"You should probably get that front door checked, one little push and it opened right up. Leaving your key under the mat might have something to do with that too." House said walking closer to her and placing the bags on the coffee table. "Why are you here, committing felonies and carrying bags with you?" Cuddy asked him, a little too tired for their usual banter. "Well you said you weren't feeling well in your email. Thought I'd come check on you. Plus I left my jacket here last night, it's probably laying on the chair in your bedroom." House said nonchalantly as he sat down on the other end of the couch and started opening up the two bags he had. Cuddy shook her head in disbelief then realized that probably wasn't the best idea when the pain increased and her head started to throb. She immediately started to massage her temples which didn't go unnoticed by House. "Got a headache, here take two of these." House tossed a bottle of water and a bottle of ibuprofen Cuddy's way which she caught and complied with his instructions. After swallowing her pills Cuddy had to ask House what he was doing there.

"So you're telling me you actually read my email about moving the meeting, you saw I was sick, came over to get your jacket and also apparently brought me medicine?" House chuckled a little. "I did read your e-mail after Wilson forwarded it to me about five or six times. And I brought more than just that medicine, I brought cough syrup, vapor rub, decongestant, kleenex, bottles of water, more tea and some soup. And beer but the beer is for me. Is there anything on besides Friends? It's such a girly show. Of course that Chandler does crack me up and Jennifer Aniston has quite the ass." House said popping the top on a beer and leaning back into the couch like he had been doing it all his life. "House, you're here to… take care of me?" Cuddy was sure she was hallucinating, how high of a fever did she have? House didn't care about anyone but himself. "Well it was Wilson's idea. He said something about being worried about you because you never get sick. I told him to come check on you and he told me I should do it. I told him you'd be fine but then he drove to my House told me to get in the car took me to the grocery store, told me to buy you medicine and dropped me off here." Cuddy should have known he was incapable of doing this on his own, but she'd take what she could get. Right now it was nice to just have him here spending time with her, infiltrating her personal space and for now that was enough.

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**A/N: Pretty much decided I'm going to continue, I think I have some potential with this fic and can make it go a few different directions. I love reviews a lot. Let me know if you like the little detour I've taken because it wasn't originally where I was planning on going. And to everyone who reviewed chapter one, you're awesome xoxo**


	3. Sick and Stuck In A Storm

**A/N: Holy Moly on the reviews! Thanks guys! Knowing people are enjoying this gives me motivation to write it. I always write an authors note before I start a fic/chapter and when I finish one just to update you guys on where I plan to go with the fic. To be honest, not even sure where this chapter is going to go! Hopefully, it's what you guys want to see. As always my disclaimer is I don't own this. If I did Cuddy would have been in Season 8 and there would be a Season 9 premiere this fall. Clearly I don't own anything. Plus, I own nothing in real life either, it wouldn't be worth it to sue me.**

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Cuddy woke up disoriented the next morning. She was on the couch, the television was blaring some morning talk show in the background and her head was killing her. She was cold too and couldn't smell anything. Cuddy tried to stand up and got an immediate head rush and sat back down. Definitely a flu bug. She silently congratulated herself for figuring this out last night and canceling her meeting this morning. That mean little boy from the clinic yesterday probably gave her his flu. Not only had the kid tried to bite her when she was checking his throat, he sneezed right in her face when she was checking his eyes and nose. Sometimes Cuddy couldn't blame House for not wanting to deal with clinic patients. Speaking of House, she could have sworn he was here at some point last night. Looking around the grocery bag was still on the table with all the contents inside but the brown paper bag full of beer was gone. Cuddy immediately felt a little panic rise in her chest. She hoped House didn't drink all that beer and drive home. Then she remember he had said Wilson dropped him off. If anything Wilson had come back and picked him up, or he was drunk and out wandering the streets and she'd be getting a call from the police any minute.

At that moment a loud crash was heard from the kitchen followed by a very loud "DAMN IT!". Cuddy stood up, ignoring the head rush and wrapped the blanket tightly around her and headed for her kitchen. When she got to the doorway she couldn't help but laugh a little at the scene in front of her, mostly because she didn't really know what that scene was. House turned around, he was covered in flour and other foods which Cuddy wasn't really sure what they were. There were two pots on the stove and some bowls littering the counter and House was shaking his hand around in the air like he burned it or pinched it or something. "What the hell are you doing." Cuddy said noticing her 'th's' were coming out like 'd's'. House gritted his teeth through the pain and answered her question. "I got bored, there's not much to do here so I decided to cook something. Wilson's always talking about how much fun cooking is. It is kind of fun but it's a giant pain in the ass, especially when you burn yourself." House continued to grit his teeth and tried not to curse anymore from the pain. Cuddy had to bite back a laugh. For someone who has been dealing with chronic leg pain for awhile now House sure was a baby when it came to a little burn.

Cuddy walked over to where House was and examined his hand. It was just blistering a little on his middle and pointer fingers, didn't look to be anything too serious. "I have some anti-burn cream in the medicine cabinet and some gauze you can wrap around your fingers." Cuddy left the room fully intending to bring the supplies back to him but House followed her to the bathroom and stood in the doorway. Cuddy applied the burn cream and wrapped his hand up. "What were you making anyway? It smells good but it looks like a disaster out there." House glanced down at the floor, almost looking sheepish about his answer. "Chocolate chip banana pancakes from scratch. That's all you really had ingredients for." Cuddy thought back for a second to all the stuff he had laid out in the kitchen and got a real puzzled look on her face. "You made Chocolate chip banana pancakes with two pots and no frying pan?" Cuddy couldn't even believe this. Wasn't he supposed to be smart? "I couldn't find one so I improvised. That's how I ended up getting burned, on the side of the pot when I tried to flip them." Cuddy shook her head slightly at him and pushed her way out of the bathroom and headed back to the couch with House trailing right behind her like a lost puppy. "Do you wanna at least try the pancakes? I spent a long time on them and even got a war wound." House held up his bandaged hand and pouted behind it in an attempt to make her want to try them. "Fine." Cuddy told him hanging her head and standing back up ready to go to the kitchen. House pushed her shoulder causing her to fall back onto the couch. "Stay here I'll bring them out to you, I have to clean up too. Be back in five minutes."

In a non-sick state Cuddy would be worried about something House had made. She'd also be worried about what "cleaning up" entailed for him, but today she really didn't care. He could burn her whole damn kitchen down and she wouldn't care. Cuddy fished through the couch cushions and found the remote and tried to find something other than talk shows to watch. She settled on TV Land which was running episodes of 'I Love Lucy' right now. Cuddy could barely hear the television though over all the banging coming from the kitchen. House was running around like a madman throwing bowls, pots, spatulas and other assorted things he had used to cook into the sink. Cuddy had a dishwasher but he preferred not to use it. With any luck he would be out of here in a little while and not have to do a single one of those dishes. House grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and placed them on the tray (which he found hiding under the sink) along with two plates of pancakes, a bottle of syrup and utensils. The pancakes honestly didn't look all that bad but House felt nervous for some reason. Possibly because he didn't often cook breakfast for a sick woman and bring it to her on the couch. Was he going soft in his old age? This was so unlike him, but it was Cuddy. Cuddy, who he normally tormented mercilessly, who he usually wouldn't really give a second thought to if he heard she was sick. After their kiss and the night they spent together though, something inside him just kept drawing him to her. Hence the pancakes and him still being in her house after following Wilson's orders yesterday. (Why did he do that anyway, House NEVER listens to Wilson's advice, why start now?)

House tried to convince himself this was all a brilliant ruse to get into Cuddy's party pants. He tried to convince himself that by selflessly nursing her back to health and spending a few nights at her place she'd get sucked into his vortex and sleep with him. Then he could add her to his conquest list. Technically he had already slept with her before back in college, but he hadn't made his conquest list yet ergo it didn't count. House knew that wasn't all this was though. This was Lisa Cuddy. He had felt something for her since the moment he laid eyes on her and just like everything else in his life he made a colossal mess of it and screwed it to hell. He knew these small things, these things so very unlike him, were his way of finally getting back into her good graces and showing her he could be a decent man when he tried even though he was sure to be a huge narcissistic pain in the ass 99% of the time.

House found Cuddy more or less passed out on the couch when he went out there watching 'I Love Lucy' reruns. In essence she looked like crap. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, she wasn't wearing makeup and she was in oversized sweats. Any other girl House would have thought she looked ugly. He really wanted to see Cuddy as ugly, sick as a dog, a rumpled mess on her couch, but he couldn't. Even sick she looked beautiful to him. House sat down on the other end of the couch and Cuddy retracted her feet to make room for him. He took his plate of pancakes and bottle of water off the tray and passed it along to her. She sat up looking suspiciously at the food in front of her. She cut off a small corner and placed it into her mouth. These were undoubtedly the best pancakes she had ever eaten. They may even rival Wilson's walnut pancakes, which he made for her on one occasion when she stayed the night at his and Bonnie's place. Cuddy couldn't help the happy smile that spread across her face while she ate these, they were just that good. House noticed her smile and smiled himself. At least now he knew the food he made wasn't going to kill him instantaneously.

They ate in silence and when they were done House took the tray, plates and utensils back to the kitchen and dumped them in the sink along with everything else and headed back to the living room. Cuddy was taking a dose of decongestant medicine. She made a sour face after she swallowed it and washed the taste away with some water. Cuddy had switched off 'I Love Lucy' In favor of the noon news. A bulletin flashed along the bottom of the screen 'Severe Thunderstorm Warning In Effect For the Princeton - Plainsboro Area'. House inwardly groaned at that. He walked to the window and sure enough dark storm clouds were brewing overhead. A bright flash of lightning lit the sky and was followed by a very loud boom that shook the whole house. Then the power flickered and effectively went out. There was an audible groan from the couch and House walked over to check on Cuddy. "You okay? What hurts?" House asked waiting for a response. "Nothing hurts, I just hate storms and I hate them even more when the power goes out. I have a weather station in the closet and some candles. I'll go get them, at least we'll know what's up with the storm even without the news."

Cuddy found the weather station in the back of the coat closet along with a bag of candles. She retrieved a box of matches from a drawer in the kitchen and headed back into the living room where she found House looking through her CD collection. Cuddy set up the weather station and lit a few of the candles. She watched House browse through her CD collection, pulling each one from it's spot on the shelf and critiquing it. She could only imagine the things he was thinking in his head about her diverse collection. She didn't have to wonder much longer when he started saying his critiques out loud. "NSYNC? Really Cuddy? Are you a pre-teen girl now?" House shook his head shoving the CD back on the shelf and pulling out the next album which was 'The Stranger' by Billy Joel. "Now this is at least decent music." House said before returning it to it's original home. The next disc he pulled out was 'Enjoy the Ride' by Sugarland. "Country Music? Cuddy I never pegged you for a country girl. Do you have cowboy boots stored away somewhere? I guess the proves why you're so good at riding…" House was cut off by Cuddy who wasn't going to sit and take anymore of this.

"House I think you've made fun of my music quite enough for one day. Can't you just sit down and read a book or take a nap or something. I can't babysit you today, I'm not feeling up to it." Cuddy spread out on the couch and tried to relax into the cushions. House walked over to sit at the other end and Cuddy pulled her feet back to make room. This seemed to be an event that was occurring more and more as the day went on. House sat down and stared ahead at the blank television screen. "Moooooooom I'm bored!" House whined after about five seconds of sitting quietly. Cuddy sat up to look at him. He went from looking bored to displaying a devilish smirk on his face within seconds. He looked like the grinch from the cartoon version of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas', the part where he gets a wonderfully awful idea and his face splits into that maniacal grin, House was mirroring that expression. "You know Cuddy, we could play a game." House said, his smile getting wider if that was possible. "House I'm not playing strip poker with you, not now, not ever." Cuddy said giving him the stare down. "Cuddy why would you think I would even ask to play such a thing?" House said feigning innocence. "I just thought we could play a healthy little game of truth or dare."

Cuddy outright laughed at that suggestion. There is absolutely no way she was playing truth or dare with House. He's either try to get information out of her that he could use against her at the worst times or he'd make her do some demeaning dare so that he could talk about it for the rest of her life at the worst times. It was a lose-lose situation and there was no way she was going along with it. "Are you out of your mind? What would make you think I would play truth or dare with you?" House was still displaying his Grinchy smile. "Because you're just as bored as I am and now you're intrigued." House was smiling now, not just because he had a wonderfully awful idea, but because he knew he had won. Cuddy sighed in defeat. "Fine I'll play with you House but I'm laying down ground rules." House made an angry face. "You suck the fun out of everything." He said folding his arms over his chest and acting depressed. "Of course Cuddy you realize rules are meant to be broken."

"Look House I said I'd play but not without ground rules. Take it or leave it." House may have won the battle but he didn't win the war. He knew Cuddy wouldn't back down without setting rules. She liked rules, a big believer in keeping order. House knew that was something about her that would never change no matter how much wining he did so he agreed. "Fine what are your rules your majesty." Cuddy shook her head at him before speaking. "Rule number one. Nothing that involves inappropriate touching. I'm sick and I'm only playing this with you because the power is out. Don't think this is an opportunity to get a freebie or a quickie out of me. Rule number two. Nothing you learn leaves this house. You don't go telling Wilson or the team anything you find out during the course of this game, and you don't get to go around and tell them about the terrible dares you're sure to give me. Finally to go along with rule number two, no one ever finds out we played truth or dare. You not only don't get to spread the information around, you don't even get to tell anyone we played. Less chance for them to ask questions about it and for you to not so subtly hint at things you found out. Those are my conditions, are we playing or not?"

House was a little annoyed at Cuddy. She was sucking all the fun out of truth or dare. What was the point in playing if he couldn't dare her to touch him (or herself) in inappropriate ways and then tell other people about it. But it didn't look like her power was coming back on anytime soon and this gave him something to do. After all like he said, rules were meant to be broken. "Fine Cuddy, I'll abide by your fun-sucking rules. Truth or dare?"

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**A/N: This chapter is a little short but I wanted to save their truth or dare banter for a chapter all it's own. Hope everyone is still enjoying this. Reviews give me motivation to write more (and faster!) so drop one on your way out! To everyone who's reviewed so far THANK YOU! xoxo**


	4. Truth or Dare

**A/N: I guess most people get a lot of reviews like this all the time, but this is new for me! I'm so thankful for the feedback, I love reading everyones comments, suggestions and favorite parts! This chapter is the game of truth or dare between Cuddy and House! Some things will be factual things we learned from the show, others are just going to be completely made up. This is the point in time where I tell you I just watched the end of season six and beginning of seasons seven for the first time. Let's just say my mind was blown I could barely stand myself I loved 'Now What?' so much! That being said, if I make a factual error I'm sorry, plus back in season three we wouldn't have known any of that stuff anyway! I don't own it blah blah, on with the story!**

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"Alright Cuddy, Truth or Dare?" House asked. Cuddy hesitated before making her response, figuring both choices have downsides. "Truth" She replied nervously. House smirked a little before opening his mouth to ask her the question. "If given the opportunity, would you ever sleep with Wilson?" Cuddy's eyes almost bugged out of her head! The first thing he wants to know is if she would ever sleep with Wilson? "No, he's one of my closest friends, that would be the quickest way to make everything awkward between us." House took in everything she was saying, over-analyzing the question to death in his mind. Truthfully he just wanted to freak her out on the first question, but he did honestly want to know if she looked at Wilson in 'that way' but he wasn't sure why he cared so much. "So what you're saying Cuddy is under normal circumstances, no, you wouldn't sleep with Wilson. Unless you were sure it wouldn't make everything awkward between you, if not then you'd jump him?" Cuddy stared back at House in utter disbelief. "I don't have to answer that, it's a follow-up question, you can either save it for my next truth or forget about it. Truth or Dare?"

House knew Cuddy was cunning and manipulative but thinking of a maniacal dare on her feet wasn't her strong suit. He really thought about going for the dare just to avoid the possibility of revealing something he'd rather not, but he wanted to feel Cuddy out, see what kind of questions she would go for. "Truth." Cuddy smiled sweetly at him, which was her version of the cheshire cat grin. "What really happened between you and Cameron. Be advised I may already know what happened and am just asking you this to gauge whether or not you're going to lie to me during this game." Normally House wouldn't be scared, she had nothing. Then again maybe she did have something. House can vaguely remember going on a drunken rant one time to Wilson about the whole Cameron ordeal. She could know something. Everybody lies, but House decided to cut his losses. If he lied on the first question she'd quit for sure and he'd go back to being bored.

"Well you know she left after the whole Voegler incident. She did come back but only under the condition that I would go on a date with her. We went to dinner. I bought her a corsage, which I do admit now was pretty stupid. We went to a nice restaurant. Wilson thought it was his place to give me tips on how to act on a date. When I tried to follow them Cameron told me she didn't expect me to be different just because I was in a tie and we were eating overpriced food by candlelight. She said she didn't want to waste the date talking about trivial things like our favorite wine and our least favorite books. She went straight for the throat and asked how I felt about her. I asked her how she thought I felt about her. She said my being distant and cold to her all the time was my way of denying to myself that I had feelings for her. I asked her what it would mean if I suddenly started being nice to her and she said that would mean I had finally come to terms with the fact that I liked her. Basically there was nothing I could do or say to her to make her think I didn't like her. So I said the only thing that would. I told her she didn't like me, she wanted to fix me. I brought up her dead husband, I threw that back in her face and told her she liked broken men because she always needed someone to fix. We finished dinner in silence and she left very unhappily. We never went out again. Truth or Dare."

Cuddy noticed House didn't leave room for inquiries of any kind. She knew she may have pushed it a little starting with the Cameron question, but she honestly wanted to know more about that. She only knew the very vague details that floated around the hospital gossip mill. Cuddy knew this wasn't the time to take a dare from House so yet again she said; "Truth." Cuddy could see House contemplating what he wanted to ask her. Probably deciding whether it was worth it or not to waste the truth on his follow-up question about Wilson. House smirked before opening his mouth. "What was the best sex you ever had and what made it the best?" Cuddy froze. She knew exactly who, what, where and when her best sex ever was but she wasn't sure if she could really admit it to House. "Well my best sex ever was a long time ago. It was in college and it was the best because the guy was just really different from all other guys I've been with since. He seemed to care more than the others. It was just something special to me. No one else would understand it." 'Yeah, that was a great cover story' Cuddy thought to herself. 'He's never going to be able to figure out who or when that was'. House had a telling look cross his face but it went away as quickly as it showed up. "Truth or Dare?" Cuddy questioned.

"Dare." House said without even thinking. Cuddy wasn't sure what a good dare to give him was. Most things that would embarrass a regular human being wouldn't bother House. The few things that would bother House would be the things regular people do all the time. "I dare you to call Wilson and apologize for the last nasty thing you did to him. If he asks why you tell him it's because you're turning over a new leaf and trying to right your wrongs." House's mouth dropped open. "You're daring me to do something nice? That makes me sound like a complete wuss. I'm not doing that." Cuddy smiled at him. "House you have to, it's truth or dare, it falls right in compliance with the rules." House angrily grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed Wilson's number. He picked up on the second ring. "Hey, House what's up?" House took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm sorry I ate your lunch out of the hospital fridge yesterday and replaced it with leftovers from the cafeteria garbage." House didn't even give Wilson the chance to respond. He hung up the phone and put it on silent so if Wilson called back he wouldn't hear it. "That was just cruel Cuddy. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth" Cuddy said without skipping a beat. House rolled his eyes at her. "You are such a chicken. What's the worst I could do to you with all those rules you made up before the game started. Besides if you always pick truth than it's not truth or dare it's just confessions!" Cuddy knew he would continue to bug her until she picked a dare so she changed her pick. "Fine, Dare then." House must have already had a dare in mind because he smiled and said in a calm voice "Give me the bra you're wearing right now." Cuddy immediately started to shake her head. "No way, that's not happening." House's smile grew wider "Oh but Cuddy it doesn't involve inappropriate touching or telling anyone about this game. It fits within your rules, so either give up the bra or I'll be forced to take it myself and THAT doesn't fit your rules." Cuddy couldn't believe this, she was actually starting to feel better until he decided to dare her to do that. "You'd really make a cold, sick woman strip off her clothing? That's just mean." House chuckled a little. "When have you ever known me to be nice, get to stripping Dr. Cuddy". Slowly Cuddy reached behind her back and popped the clasp on her bra. Then she slid her arms inside her sweatshirt, slipping the straps from her shoulders and grabbing the bra, forcing the bra and her hand out the sleeve and tossing the article of clothing at House. House smiled gleefully as the red lace bra landed in his lap. "Oh Cuddy you definitely did not disappoint, you know red is your color. Does the thong match?" Cuddy wrapped the blanket around her tighter, thankful she was wearing a big sweatshirt. "Shut up House, truth or dare?"

"Truth." House answered still turning the bra over in his hands. He realized he probably should have asked her to take off the sweatshirt so he could have seen this on her. Maybe he'd have her do that for her next dare. Cuddy looked deep in thought across the couch, trying to come up with a question she really wanted to know the answer to. Knowing it wasn't the best thing she could come up with but something she honestly wanted to know, she went ahead and asked. "Why do you hide your pain from us. Us meaning Wilson and I and the team. Do you think we're going to think less of you because you're in pain? It's understandable that it hurts, you had a large amount of muscle removed from your thigh and as doctors we all know what kind of pain that could cause a person." House just looked at her. Of everything he expected her to ask, that wasn't even on the list.

"I don't want to answer that." House stated simply "I guess this game is over". House turned away from Cuddy and stared out the window at the pouring rain. Cuddy looked at him in disbelief. "This whole game was your idea. You can not seriously tell me that one little truth or dare question is going to cause you to clam up and be quiet because if that was the case I would have opened with this one. I didn't want to play but you're right, now I'm intrigued and you can't just say you quit. Not after I had to give you my bra. Answer the damn question." House turned back to face Cuddy, his expression was like a stone wall. "No". He replied staring her down. "How embarrassing could the answer to that be. In fact it's a simple question. Just because you don't like sharing your feelings and you don't like being personal isn't an excuse. The question is WHY do you do that and I honestly want to know. You don't seem to understand how taxing it is for Wilson and I to be able to see how in pain you are, to know inside you're dealing with some sort of agony whether it's just leg pain or something else and not be able to help you because you don't let us in. We can't help you if we don't know what's bothering you." Cuddy was furious. She was tired and still a little sick, mad the power was out and angry that House wouldn't cooperate. A tear or two escaped he eyes while she yelled at House who seemed to be ignoring her, that is until he turned and looked her straight in the eye and started to roar back.

"Did it ever occur to either one of you that maybe I just don't want your help. Or your pity. I don't need it. No one needs to feel bad for the anti-social jackass who is missing a chunk of his thigh. I get up every morning and do my damn job. What more do you want out of me? As my boss that should make you happy you shouldn't care whether I'm 'dealing with something' or in pain. I have my Vicodin that's all I need to relieve the pain. I don't need shrinking, I don't need your help." Cuddy had tears spilling from her eyes now that she couldn't stop as House screamed at her. They've fought a lot in the past but never like this, never over something this important.

"The thing is House it doesn't matter whether you want us to care or you want our help. We do care and we want to help because that's what friends do. When one of them needs something, when one of them is in pain or is suffering you want to help and you want to fix it. You don't think every time I see you in pain I don't feel a little pain myself? I do, not just because I care about you but because I know I'm part of what causes that pain every single day. I'm the one who let Stacy sign those forms, I'm the one who booked your OR room and oversaw them take out a huge ball of your dead muscle. I'm the one who didn't insist on amputation, I let you do whatever the hell you wanted to, just like always. So maybe it was your decision to keep the leg and your decision to take the Vicodin and to be a complete jackass to anyone even remotely close to you, but I still blame myself for helping you become this way. You think you're the only one affected by this and the only one who feels pain, you're not. You're just the only one who can't talk about it.

House wanted to yell at Cuddy, wanted to scream at her that she had no idea what she was talking about. All she felt was guilt, not actual pain. He felt pain, he felt the physical effects of what she and Stacy had done to him every day. But he just couldn't yell at her anymore. Not like this, not when she was sick and crying and just wanted to help. She didn't want to help him because she pitied him or because he was a charity case to her, she wanted to help him because she cared for him, selflessly. It was something he had never learned how to do and truthfully never wanted or cared to learn how to, until this very moment. He could at least start by telling her the truth.

"I'm sorry." He started and Cuddy looked up at him. "I don't tell you and Wilson when I'm feeling pain because I don't want your pity and I don't tell the team when I'm feeling pain because I don't want them running to you and Wilson and causing an upheaval. Showing pain is a sign of weakness. Growing up I got punished for weakness. Cuddy I don't think you know this, I honestly haven't told many people this but when I was a kid my dad abused me. He abused me for anything and everything. If I forgot to take out the garbage, if my grades slipped, if I was late getting home, if I spoke out of turn. He would find insignificant things to punish me for. When I was seven I was out riding my bike, I hit a patch of gravel and skidded into a stop sign. I banged my arm up pretty nice on the stop sign but the worst was the scrapes on both my knees from falling down into the gravel. My knees were bloodied and they had little stones imbedded in them. I left my bike on the side of the road and went running home, everything hurt like hell. I ran in through the back door of the house looking for my mom, I was crying and calling out for her, but she wasn't home, my father was. He came into the kitchen from the living room and started yelling at me. Asked me why I was screaming. I showed him my knees, still crying. He told me that was nothing. Real men don't cry over something so stupid. He told me if I really wanted something to cry about he'd give me something to cry about. Then he dragged me over to the stove and held my hand over the open flame for what felt like an eternity. When he was done he told me to quit crying and go clean myself up because my mother would be home any minute. I had to clean my cuts, remove the stones and bandage up my hand all on my own. That was the first time he ever abused me and certainly not the last. From that moment on I promised myself not to outwardly show pain, to suck it up and be a real man."

Cuddy could feel the tears streaming from her eyes while she looked at him. That was the most heart wrenching story and it explained so much. She didn't know if she should say something or not. Luckily she didn't have to because House continued to speak. "I know I should let you and Wilson in more. I know there are a lot of things I should do that I don't do. I want to try to change, but it's not as easy as it sounds. That scar on my leg, this cane, the Vicodin addiction, the constant pain… none of those things are things I'm proud of. I want to change Cuddy but I don't think I can. That's why I don't share my pain Cuddy, I can't. It's not even that I don't want to. There are days when I wish I could just go to someone and tell them what's going on or what's hurting and make the pain go away, but I can't find it within myself to do that. I take Vicodin to block all that out. With the Vicodin I don't need anyone else, it numbs every type of pain and I can just do my job and move along with my life. But there are so many days when I think it won't be enough."

Cuddy could barely look at him. She knew he was messed up, she knew he was broken, but she never knew how deep this ran. How could she have never seen it? How could she have never seen how deeply this affected him? She needed to say something, she needed to let him know that it was okay to feel this way and it was truly okay to open up to her. Slowly Cuddy inched closer to him, curling up on the middle couch cushion with her legs bent up underneath her, their knees almost touching. "House, I know you see admitting pain as a sign of weakness, but I don't see it that way. It would be ridiculous for anyone to think you're not in pain after what happened to your leg. You can't keep everything bottled up inside of you, it's not healthy. Your Vicodin habit might not be much of anything now, but someday it will escalate. You can't rely on meds to keep you sane and keep you together because that will backfire. You need to talk to someone, you need someone who will shoulder the responsibilities with you and won't judge you on them. You need someone like…" Cuddy stopped herself and let her sentence trail off. She was going to say 'you need someone like me' but she thought better of it. She thought it might freak him out even more.

"Someone like what Cuddy?" House prompted her. He stared at her for a long moment before leaning in close to her face and whispering. "Were you going to say I need someone like you? Because if you were I'd have to tell you that I was thinking the same thing. The only thing is you'd have to be patient with me. I don't know how to open up, I don't know how to share when something is bothering me. I don't know how to let people know when I'm in pain. I'm a real jackass when it comes to my leg, and I'm sure to be a jackass to you when you try to ask me about it. I don't know if you should really subject yourself to that." Cuddy could feel his breath tickling her cheek and she wondered what would happen if she moved in another centimeter or two and crashed her lips against his. Screw being in the right frame of mind, screw hospital protocol, screw everything that's telling her wanting to be with this man is a bad idea. She wants this, she wants HIM. She wants them to wake up together, fight over stupid things and have mind-blowing make up sex. She wants this more than she's ever wanted anything in her entire life. There are only two things stopping her. The first being that she just got him to open himself up to her a teeny bit and this could scare him back into his shell. The second was the small gap between them that with one move could be closed.

Cuddy took a deep breath and leaned in and gave House a soft kiss on the mouth. When she pulled back and looked into his eyes she saw a range of emotions in there. She saw fear, she saw confusion, she saw doubt, she saw surprise but she also saw happiness and that was enough for Cuddy. She knew that deep down if they would both stop being so stubborn, stop always trying to be right and outdo the other they could make a real relationship work. House must have thought the same thing because the stunned expression on his face was replaced with a smile. "Truth or Dare Cuddy?" He whispered to her. "Truth." She replied matching his grin. "Your best sex from college was me wasn't it?" House asked still smiling at her. "You bet it was" Cuddy told him while staring at his lips, she really wanted to kiss him again. "What do you say we have an encore performance?" House suggested waggling his eyebrows. Cuddy continued to smile and she tilted her head at him before answering. "That sounds amazing but it's highly likely I'll get you sick, even if I'm feeling a lot better." House reached out and put his hand on top of hers. "It's okay, you're worth a 24 hour flu bug. Plus I know a ton of doctors who can treat me." House pulled Cuddy up from the couch so they were standing face to face. He leaned down and placed another soft kiss on her lips. At that exact same moment all the lights and appliances in the house came back to life, the power was restored. House and Cuddy smiled to one another as House led Cuddy to her bedroom kicking the door shut behind them, and for now that was enough.

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**A/N: I could end it here honestly but I'm kind of on a roll. I watched Bombshells for the first time tonight (If you read the first author's note you can clearly tell there's been a time lapse from when I started this chapter to when I completed it). I actually cried while watching it. I need to get the sadness out of my system and write some cute House/Cuddy scenes. I have some ideas for one-shots floating through my mind as well, probably all song fics or fics based on songs because music impacts every aspect of my life. Anyway please drop a review on your way out, you know how much I love them and as always thanks to everyone who's reviewed the past chapters I love you guys xoxo**


	5. Now What?

**A/N: Oh Hey There Everybody! It's 2AM and I should really be asleep but what am I doing? Finally starting the next chapter of 'Enough' *Insert Happy Cheers Here*! I really contemplated just ending it at the last chapter, it would have worked nicely but let's see if we can explore a little more into their relationship, shall we? I don't own them (aren't you shocked?) Enjoy!**

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Cuddy rolled onto her back, grabbing the sheet and pulling it up to cover her body. "That was…. amazing." Cuddy stated, almost at a loss for words. She was feeling much better now, having almost recovered from her 24 hour flu bug. The memory of the night she spent with House at Michigan had, and always would be, permanently engrained in her brain, but he was even better than she remember. True, he could have gotten better over time, or the sexual tension they've had for years that just continued to build could have aided them a little bit as well. Cuddy couldn't stop the spread of the smile across her face. She was so happy but throughly exhausted, they'd been at it for quite a few hours.

House remembered Cuddy being good but now she was mind-blowing to say the least. House never thought he would get to be with her like that again, especially after blowing his first chance by leaving before she awoke and never calling her again. House felt a small smirk growing on his face thinking of the past few hours. Even after all these years he remembered which spots were most sensitive, where she liked to be kissed. He knew her inside and out and he always had. That made House very happy. He wrapped his arm protectively around her and she rolled into his side. Her warm breath was tickling his bare side and even without looking down he knew she had a smile on her face, and he was the one that put it there.

The pair laid in silence for what seemed like an eternity but was something closer to an hour. Neither spoke, afraid of ruining the moment with words. What they had just shared was perfect and far too sacred to be ruined by talking. House was thankful Cuddy hadn't said a word. Hookers as a rule generally don't speak much after sex but some do. Also, Stacy seemed to have the annoying habit of doing that as well, but not Cuddy. It comforted House to know that she was content enough to just lay there with him. Maybe they were more compatible that he ever even realized. Cuddy was enjoying the silence just as much. She didn't care either way if there was a conversation held after sex but there wasn't a need for one this time. They didn't just have sex, they made love. Making love didn't require a followup conversation, didn't demand the reassurance that the other person enjoyed it, the act spoke for itself. Gradually they drifted off to sleep, House's arm wrapped around Cuddy and Cuddy's arm slung around his midsection, still locked together in a lover's embrace.

Surprisingly enough House and Cuddy slept through the night. House awoke first around 8AM to the unfamiliar light streaming through the windows of Cuddy's bedroom. House deliberately had his bed facing away from all windows in his apartment to avoid being awoken this early, but Cuddy he knew was an early riser and probably planned it this way so she never overslept. House smirked at the last thought because here she was still asleep. She was turned away from the windows, still curled into his side. House watched her for a few moments, feeling a little strange watching her sleep, but she looked so peaceful. All the tension and lines that usually surrounded her face at the hospital were gone. She was completely calm and looked like she was having sweet dreams. House felt the need to get up and use the restroom but he didn't want to wake Cuddy. He slowly tried to slide away from her grasp but his leg seized up at the sudden movement causing him to jolt back in pain. The movement roused Cuddy from sleep and she propped herself up on her elbows to inspect the situation.

"Did we sleep all night?" Cuddy asked in a slightly groggy tone. "Yeah we seemed to have. It's 8AM, this is the earliest I've been up in years." House said jokingly while trying to work out the kink in his thigh. Cuddy noticed the small massage he was giving himself and without thinking asked him what was wrong. "Is your leg bothering you?" Cuddy asked him, knowing the answer was obviously yes. "Yeah, it does that in the mornings sometimes. It'll be alright in a few minutes, I was just trying to get up to pee and jerked it the wrong way." Cuddy, still concerned eyed him suspiciously until the pain seemed to drain from his face. She watched House stand up with his back to her, grab his boxers off the floor and pull them on and head for the bathroom. She rolled onto her back and smiled up at the ceiling. He had stayed. He didn't leave her in the middle of the night the way he had back at Michigan. Even though that was something so insignificant Cuddy felt like a small battle had just been won in the ever turbulent and ever changing relationship.

House returned from the bathroom, limping slightly more than usual without the aid of his cane which was probably out in the living room. He came back to sit on the bed and just looked at Cuddy. Smiling down at her he produced the phrase "Now what?" causing Cuddy to stare back at him with confused amusement. "You want to have a serious relationship discussion? That's never something I thought you would suggest House." House shook his head at her "No, I meant literally now what? We covered a few different things last night, what's next? A new room? A new position?" Cuddy reached up to lightly smack him on the arm while she suppressed a giggle. "How about breakfast? I'll make it this time. Someone stocked my kitchen with tons and tons of unhealthy groceries yesterday, wonder who that was?" House pretended to try to figure out who that could have been and responded with "Must have been the last guy you slept with… oh wait that was me."

Cuddy sat up with the sheet still around her self-consciously. She had no idea where her clothes were, they seemed to be strewn about. There would be no way for her to retrieve them without House seeing her naked. True, last night he had seen just about everything she had to offer but it was in the dark. Cuddy had never been self-conscious about her body. She did yoga, she ate right, she did everything she could to keep herself in shape, but this was House. His was the only opinion that truly mattered to her, and it made her nervous. House could see the worry lines starting to sprout back up on Cuddy's face. He was determined to have a nice relaxing day with her and those worry lines had no business showing up today. He was going to nip whatever she was thinking in the bud before it started.

"Cuddy your eyes and your forehead are doing that worry induced crinkling again. Are you worried your precious hospital can't handle another day without you, because I'm calling us both in 'sick' again." Cuddy blushed slightly and shook her head. House was completely confused. What was she so worked up about then? "House could you maybe… leave the room while I get changed?" Cuddy's eyes were downcast and she was toying with the hem of the sheet. "Why do you want me to leave the room? It's not like I've never seen you naked before, or did you just forget the last fifteen hours or so?" Cuddy shook her head again, eyes still downcast. "I know you've seen me before but it was always in the dark. I just don't want you to change your mind again because you don't like what you see in the daylight." House was puzzled but being the master puzzle solver that he is House made a quick assumption and ran with it. "Cuddy, do you think the reason I left you that morning at Michigan was because I saw what you looked like in the daylight?" Cuddy didn't have to answer him, the new blush to her cheeks and slow dip of her head were answer enough.

"Cuddy I left because I had an early morning class. That same morning I was called out of class and into the Dean's office and promptly expelled for cheating on one of my exams. I didn't call you again because a.) I was a coward and b.) I didn't want you to know I had been expelled or rather what I had been expelled for. Your moral compass has always been better oriented than mine. I didn't leave because of the way you looked I left because I am and always have been a selfish bastard. Just think, if I would have skipped my first class and stayed in the room with you the Dean wouldn't have gotten to me until much much later in the day." House added the last part hoping to get a smile out of her and it worked. "Now go into your closet and find something to wear so we can get breakfast going, I'll even cover my eyes if you really want me to." House made a big deal of covering his eyes that caused Cuddy's smile to grow even wider. She threw back the sheet and crawled over to him, giving him a hard kiss on the mouth before jumping off the bed and heading for the bathroom. House uncovered his eyes in just enough time to see her bare ass retreating behind the closing bathroom door.

House found his jeans on the floor from last night and pulled them on. He then searched for his shirt which somehow ended up under the bed and put that on as well. He hobbled out into the living room and found his cane hooked on one arm of the couch. He sat down and tried to rub another kink out of his thigh, it was acting up more than usual today. Of course it hadn't had that much exercise in months so of course it was protesting. Although it would be wrong to admit it to her, House was actually glad Cuddy was a little insecure about him seeing her body. It deflected the attention away from him and the horrific scar on his leg. She hadn't paid any attention to it the night before but he was sure this morning she would see it when he was sitting on the bed in nothing but boxers. She wasn't even paying attention to his leg though, more worried about what he would think of her. It was nice for him to know he wasn't the only one with insecurities of course Cuddy bared no mark like that on her body, so she had nothing to be ashamed of. She came into the living room a few minutes later dressed in jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt. She came up behind House and started to slowly massage his shoulders. "Ready for breakfast yet House? I've been told that I make pretty good apple cinnamon pancakes, if you're up for them." House turned around and gave her a look of mock horror. "You mean to tell me you've been making pancakes for other men? This hurts Cuddy." She smiled at him before heading for the kitchen, gathering all her supplies to make the pancakes. House repeated the pattern from a few days ago and retrieved the paper from the front porch and went to sit at the kitchen table while Cuddy made breakfast.

They ate the meal almost in silence, only speaking when asking to see a different section of the paper. It was calm, comfortable and highly domestic. House was starting to get a little uncomfortable. Last night they slept together. Everything was progressing so fast, and House being House started to panic. He jumped up from the table, startling Cuddy out of her small reverie. "Have to pee." he announced, grabbing his cane and heading for the bathroom leaving a shocked Cuddy sitting at the table. What was that all about?

Once he was safely in the bathroom, House took a deep breath. He was thinking like a crazy person. She didn't expect him to change, she didn't expect him to be domestic. Everything was just moving so fast. A few days ago he was yelling at her, more like screaming at her and telling her it was a good thing she never got pregnant because she'd be a sucky mother. How could she have forgiven him so quickly? Something was wrong with this, the puzzle solver inside him knew, as much as he would hate it, they had to talk about what happened back in the showers.

House made sure to flush the toilet and run the water in the sink so she was none the wiser as to why he escaped for a few moments. He came back into the kitchen to a wonderful sight. Cuddy had her head down, she was reading the paper. Her curls were falling in her face and she was slightly biting her lip, engrossed in what she was reading. House wondered to himself how or why he could say such hurtful things to her. He kept seeing her face in his mind, the one she made while sitting in the shower holding that little girl just trying to cool her down. He never wanted to see that face again and he surely never wanted to be the cause of it. Cuddy sensed she was being watched and looked up. She gave House a small smile but he didn't reciprocate. "Let's go out in the living room, something we need to discuss." House told her before limping over to pick up his plate.

They cleaned up the breakfast dishes, or rather added them to the growing pile of dishes in the sink. House's adventure of pots and pans were still in there from yesterday. Normally the OCD monster in Cuddy would come out and want to clean them but she didn't want that to spoil their day, plus she really wanted to know what House thought needed "discussing". She thought everything was good between them now. Maybe he didn't think the sex was as good as she did. Maybe he realized he never wanted to see her or speak to her again. Cuddy started to get anxious as she headed for the couch where House was perched, feet propped up on the coffee table. His posture suggested he was relaxed but his facial expression betrayed him, this wasn't going to end well.

Cuddy sat down next to him, leaving a small amount of distance between them. She didn't know what he was getting at saying they needed to "discuss" things. She figured it was better to give him space. He was the first one to speak. "Cuddy when I… said what I said to you the other day, what was going through your mind?" Her face fell, remembering the conversation she had with Wilson after the incident. She didn't want to think about that anymore, she had pushed it out of her mind and here he was dredging it back up again. "Nothing" she told House, her voice cold and steely. House knew she was lying, he knew when he came to her door the other night and she was crying that she hadn't been thinking of 'nothing' when he said that to her. "Please tell me Cuddy. I felt bad about it before but I feel worse now. What I said to you, it was horrible and completely wrong. I knew that at the time but I didn't think it would hurt you as much as it obviously did." Cuddy laughed a little in spite of herself. He didn't think it would hurt that bad? Seriously?

"You didn't think it would hurt me that bad? You didn't think questioning my skills of being a mother would bother me?" Cuddy was getting upset again now and House could see it, but he needed to know what specific part of that had made her tick. "No I didn't. I didn't think it was any different than criticizing your job or your clothes or anything else. Why was this different?" Cuddy hadn't been looking at him. She glanced up, expecting to see a mocking look on his face but there wasn't one, he looked interested and even possibly concerned. That made it easier for Cuddy to admit to him what was really wrong. "I've seen you be rude to get what you want, I've never seen you be nasty just because you could." She told him never averting her eyes, she wanted to see his reaction. His eyes got slightly wider and his mouth dropped open a little bit. "Seriously?" he asked, knowing there have been plenty of times he's been mean to be mean. "Funny, that was Wilson's reaction too." Cuddy said, the corners of her mouth upturning into a smirk. "House you know about the IVF, you helped me with the shots and even helped me realize that picking a donor is more than just hair and eye color and how many living relatives he has. You know I tried three times because I came to you for help with the shots, you know the first two times never took which is why I kept trying. You don't know that the third time I lost a baby. You had been teasing me for almost a week at work that I looked pregnant to you, making all your stupid comments and I was insistent to you that I wasn't pregnant. I did take a home pregnancy test though on the off-chance you were right and the test was negative. When I went for my next appointment they told me I had been pregnant but lost it almost as quickly as it came. My body wasn't able to hold onto it, I hadn't even known I was pregnant and wouldn't have even suspected it if not for your remarks. I made me start thinking that I wasn't cut out for this and I couldn't do it."

House took in everything she was saying. He had no idea she had lost a kid. He figured she was getting some from a guy she met and no longer needed the IVF shots. He felt like the lowest piece of scum on the earth. He had confirmed her fears by telling her she would be a sucky mother. Her body had already betrayed her and his words were the confirmation to her complex. "You did mention that the other night, but I just couldn't focus on that part right then and there. Cuddy I didn't know. If I would have known I wouldn't have said that. Remember what I said, It was a good thing you couldn't get pregnant, I never knew you actually did. I wouldn't have said those things. How did you forgive me?"

Cuddy didn't know what to say to that. "I didn't really forgive you House, I just tried to forget what you said. You do this all the time. You say things you claim to not mean and then do some great gesture to fix it after you realize you've been wrong. I figured it wasn't worth overanalyzing this anymore or feeling bad for myself. This is the way things work, this is the cycle of life when someone spends time with you, I just tried to forget about it. I can't though, because you're right just like always. My body can't hold onto a child because it knows I will be a horrible mother. I couldn't even comfort that poor little girl in the hospital. I told her the procedure wouldn't hurt, I told her everything would get better and I told her that her parents might get back together. I didn't even hold her hand during the treatment. I don't know how to be a mother, I know how to be a doctor, it's all I'll ever be good at. It doesn't matter how much I want to be a mother, I'm not cut out for it."

House wasn't one to feel empathy, but he was feeling some right now. Cuddy was one of the most caring people he knew. He said what he did out of anger and spite and a little bit of pain. He didn't know it would cause her to feel this way and he also didn't know he would be the one trying to clean up the mess. Could four days with her really have changed him that much? "Cuddy, I am sorry. You don't have to believe me or forgive me or anything but I'm telling you the truth. It was wrong and stupid of me to say you'd be a sucky mother. Maybe I'm just a little jealous that if you get a kid you wont have as much time to babysit me and my crazy diagnostic antics. Someday you will make a great mother. Don't let some miserable old addict with a Daddy complex tell you otherwise."

Cuddy smiled wider at his last phrase. Even being serious he could never forgo the sarcasm. "You know House I do believe you but through this whole thing you've changed position so many times. You helped me with the shots, you tried to help me pick a good donor in your own messed up way. Then you turn around and you tell me I'm going to suck at it. Which is your actual opinion? Why do you feel the need to negate everything?"

"Truth? I think you will be a good mother. I also think you're going about this all wrong. A plastic cup and a turkey baster is no way to have a kid. Going into a pregnancy alone is not a wise decision, even if you're a successful adult woman and not a crackhead teenager. Adopting a child is different. If you adopt a toddler or a baby, sure it's going to be difficult to be the only one there for three a.m. feedings and midnight diaper changes but you'll manage, you'll find a rhythm and a routine that works for both you and the baby. Pregnancy is difficult on the mind and body. It's not something someone should enter into alone. Especially not when you're going to have a baby that likes square dancing and Mozart and has a horrific laugh. My point is you should know what you're getting into and who you're getting into it with. The kid should know that it has Mommy's hair and Daddy's eyes and know where it got it's OCD and it's ability to play the piano."

Cuddy realized that he was describing a child with a mixture of their qualities. Maybe now was as good a time as ever to tell him what she had been thinking for months. "House remember back when I almost picked Mozart man to be my sperm donor and you told me I should pick someone I know and trust and I said someone like you and and you said someone you like?" House nodded his head. "That night, I almost asked you to be my sperm donor, but I lost my nerve." House had a feeling she didn't come all the way up to his office to thank him for the injections but he never pressed her on the issue. "You would really want a kid as screwed up as me?" House asked her. "No House I wouldn't want a kid as screwed up as you but I would want a little boy or girl with mommy's hair, daddy's eyes, a good work ethic which is not the same as OCD and the ability to play the piano. I realized, as always, you were right about knowing who's kid you were having. I wanted to know my donor and I wanted that donor to be you. I knew that asking you could complicate things though, so I chickened out. I know being a father is something you never intended to do."

House was about to open his mouth when there was a knock on the door. Saved by the bell… er, knock. "I'll get that" House said standing up and limping towards the door before Cuddy could even remind him it was her home not his. House pulled open the front door without checking to see who it was. Wilson was standing on the other side with an exasperated look on his face. "Sorry we don't want any." House stated before trying to slam the door in Wilson's face. Wilson stopped it with his foot before laying into House. "What are you doing here, I've called you three or four times both at home and on your cell. When you didn't pick up I went to your apartment and when you weren't there I figured I'd come see if Cuddy knew where you were. What are you still doing here House and why didn't you pick up your phone?"

House looked at Wilson with a dumbstruck face. "I guess I shut my phone off when I was having hot sex with Cuddy last night. Sorry it won't happen again, I actually have to get back to her now she tends to whine when I stop right in the middle." House tried to close the door on Wilson again but he deftly slid into the front entryway. "Yeah House you had hot sex with Cuddy last night and I went swing dancing with a polar bear and a penguin. Is she at least feeling a little better? It sounded like she had one nasty flu by the way she was talking in her e-mail. I thought you would have taken the bus home or something by now though, you're not really the type to stay around and play doctor." House scrunched his eyebrows up at Wilson and said "Now wait that doesn't make sense because I am a…. Oh geeze I get it, see what you did there." House rolled his eyes for effect. "Wilson, I really did hit that last night and we were having a great time today too, until you came a ruined it."

Wilson wasn't buying it at all. "House what did you do to her? Did you drug her? Did you kill her? You're still here because you're cleaning up the crime scene aren't you?" House was about to retort with another sarcastic comment when Cuddy appeared from around the corner and placed a hand on House's bicep. "It's true Wilson, we did, um, sleep together last night. That's why he's still here. I'm feeling a lot better. House was supposed to call us both in sick today, which by your panicked state I can tell didn't happen. We're sorry we worried you." Wilson gaped at her, mouth wide open. "You two actually… and that's why… you let him… oh I need to sit down." Wilson said before heading to Cuddy's couch and taking a seat. The pair followed him, House dropping into the armchair and Cuddy sitting on it's arm. House, unsure of what was proper behavior after the little discussion/fight they had, placed an arm around her waist, hand resting on her hip. She didn't resist so he figured what he did was okay.

"You two slept together? Willingly? I always knew you two had some attraction but I never knew you would act on it, especially after how upset you were the other night Cuddy. What's going to happen now? Are you two in a relationship?" Wilson was talking a mile a minute, House and Cuddy could barely keep up with what he was saying. Knowing how unsure they were of their current situation she decided to take this one. "Wilson we don't know if we're in a relationship or not. We were discussing everything…" "When you so rudely interrupted us." House finished for her. "I probably could have gotten another round out of her if you hadn't shown up, it would have happened right there on the couch, right where you're sitting." Wilson sort of looked at his surroundings trying to get that image out of his head. "I didn't know I was interrupting anything, I can go now but you have to promise I'll be the first to know when you two decide what you want to do about what happened. Just please make sure it's the right decision, I don't want to have to clean up another one of your messes." Wilson got up to leave but not before House could add "Well stay clear of the bedroom because we made quite a few messes in there last night." Cuddy thwarted him on the arm and Wilson cringed as he showed himself out.

As soon as Wilson was gone House pulled Cuddy into his lap. He kissed her on the cheek and then whispered in her ear "I'm sorry about what happened the other day and I'm sorry I brought it up again today. I know it's still a sore spot for you and when you're ready to talk about it again we will." Cuddy smiled at him and kissed him as well, only this time it was on the lips. "Thank you." She said to him. She stroked his cheek with her hand and looked into his eyes. "So, about what Wilson said… do you think we should try this whole relationship thing? It's a big step for us. Neither of us really know how to be in a real functioning relationship." Cuddy looked nervous but House just smirked up at her. "We both suck equally at them, it means we're perfect for one another. We can call this a relationship, might be good for us. So 'girlfriend' are you up for a game of Boggle? I'm the champion and no one can dethrone me." Cuddy smirked back at him. "I'll bet you two days worth of clinic duty I can own your sorry ass at boggle." House pulled her closer by the waist so he could whisper in her ear again. "Make it two days of clinic duty and a blow job". Cuddy leaned in to whisper back at him "You're on".

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**A/N: Yay! I'm really pleased with this chaper. Shoutout to Silentlikeashadow for curing my writers block and helping me figure out the right way to insinuate Wilson into all of this. I'm aiming for a fluffy next chapter but who knows, writing the drama is becoming more fun by the minute. Reviews are my Vicodin so pretty please leave me some? Thanks to anyone and everyone who's reviewed already!**


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